Sir Robert Calder
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Posts posted by Sir Robert Calder
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I hope that the French players on US-PvP2 take note that as Spain still continues its struggle against overwhelming forces in the Gulf, the French ports in those regions have been relatively untouched by Spanish forces. Even as some Spaniards have suggested attacking Louisiana for easy ports, I've tried my best to dissuade them otherwise in hopes of a mutual commitment in the future against the US. When you are done with your pirate problem, we would gladly take any aid given in forcing back the American scourge that threatens the power balance in the entirety of the Caribbean.
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I'm sure there are more detailed guides out there, but just to give you some quick pointers:
-Be ready to make a spreadsheet or at least have a notebook with you to take down notes. (I thought this would be an immediate turn off for me, but very few games outside of say Sid Meier's Pirates have little emphasis on trade without the hard stuff already being done for you.)
-Find a group of ports under your nation's control that are about 10-20 minutes in sail of each other.
-Take note of what resources they have and their buy/sell prices. Also take note of what port consumes/produces a type of good.
-Ports that consume a good and have very little stock of said good will usually give you a decent profit margin.
-You will get less of a profit as you continuously sell the same time of resource to the same town as you increase their stock by doing so, so don't overload on a resource that's only going to initially give you 20 gold profit per load as you'll quickly run that profit margin down to the red.
-Ports that are relatively untouched by players in the far corners of the map away from capitols usually have much more stable economies and thus offer more profitability from trade (and more profit margins for each type of good).
-Historical Artifacts will always net you a profit, provided you sell them in a town that consumes HAs.
-Just because you can make a profit doesn't always mean you should. If you're only making 3k-5k in gold for 15 to 20 minutes of sailing, while it IS a steady increase in income, you get 10k+XP for completely a single mission in a similar amount of time.
-Trader Snows have the biggest cargo hold.
-Trader Cutters are the most nimble/quick but have no guns.
-Don't be afraid to buy a resource for dirt cheap such as gold at a remote outpost by 3000+ units and then teleport back to your capitol to make an immediate profit if you'd planned to bring that trader ship back to the capitol anyhow.
-Make sure to set up your outposts near Free Towns surrounded by your nation's ports you want to trade out of. You never know when you could lose your faction's ports and all your goods inside them.
-Regional Capitols often act secondary to factional capitols in the sense that they consume many more resources and have more resources readily available to purchase.
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Spaniard blood still runs through their veins I see.
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British attacking Americans? Surely my eyes deceive me.
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Speaking as a Spanish player on US-PvP2 where we are routinely outnumbered by large, organized clans that are a product of their already overwhelmingly big (comparatively speaking) playerbase, I do not wish for new players to feel like they will be lambasted for playing the "easiest" faction in the game by joining US or UK. There is a novelty to playing certain factions and I hope in the future that the devs incentivize players to reroll on factions that desperately need numbers without penalizing those who prefer playing in bulkier factions. While we will always be fighting a losing battle in the game's current state, I feel there is an appeal to a faction that is sandwiched between the two highest populated factions in the game: endless PvP. Many of the Spanish players I've talked to are thankful that they joined Spain rather than US or GB simply because they found the thought of steamrolling to be dreadfully boring. Hopefully this will be more fully realized in the future and factions will even out populace-wise without too many major changes.
I am a firm believer that a player should be able to play with who he wants without being penalized (both mechanically and socially) for it.
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February 25th
As I listen to my peers speak at length on España's dire situation in the Caribbean, it seems that is all I do. If the Spaniards in this region could load words into their cannons I daresay the combined forces of the Anglos would fret for their very existence. The topic of España's armada garrisoning in the lands of Panama have lead to continuous inner strife, displeasing both sides as inaction has ultimately ruled the debate with only minor victories in the south. Some battle-hardened Spaniards have even renounced the colors of our King, swearing to fight in Spain's best interest with those who will take the initiative. I have no doubt our King's inner circle would have all these marineros hung high in the square of Toledo as traitors, but I find myself sympathetic to their plight. The most organized remnants of Spain's royal fleet I have been made aware to are la Armada Española de la Florida, which given their namesake's current political status has shown to me the demoralized state our nation is in. To make matters worse, those who advocated Panama were subject to the untapped might of the Dutch in the region, once thought to be a mild oversight have proven to be very capable and well equipped sailors. Yet, even as I write this, I see in the hearts of every Spaniard sailor a burning desire to put an end to our constant misfortune. Yes, we are outnumbered, outgunned, and simply outmatched on nearly every front as both our enemies and supposed allies steadily pick apart our rightful empire, but tonight I write with a burning passion in my heart.
Tired of the relentless attacks on our ports, I put out a call to arms amongst what is left of our kin in these waters. I will not lie that anxiety filled my heart, expecting only skeleton crews, but apparently my words attracted even the distant la Armada Española de la Florida in their Panama holdings and with them their experienced crews. Many of my compatriots closer to Habana such as "olo", "Silfarion" who had sailed with me days prior accompanied me on this personal crusade which swelled my heart with joy. Our flotilla was also joined by the likes of the silver-tongued "Surathani" and his compatriot "Ryions", and it would not be long before our impromptu group discussed brief strategy. To my dismay, though a personal gripe, my original thought of scourging the British's latest incursion near Barcos faded after I was made aware of the intricate 'treaty' that a large portion of the gathered armada had with the British. My inexperience with siege also lead to a miscalculation on liberating some of the Cuban ports I had originally intended to target owned by the Americans, and with a force impatient for the blood of our enemies I plotted a course to Alacranes. The small island, once in Spanish hands, marked the beginning of the Americans' influence deeper into the Gulf than ever before. With a narrow timeframe and the navigation skills of "TooHigh4tv" we arrived at our target after evading an American Trincomalee.
Another mark of my inexperience showed when I neglected to factor in the time needed for a "conquest purchase", though a sharp Capitán known by "ContraStorm" acted on his own intuition, taking the initiative along the Yucatan and linked up with our force at Alacranes with minutes to spare. The port itself was undefended, bar a single showing from an American capitán known as CHEATOS who could do not but jeer us, though I do respect him making a token appearance. In truth, we were fully aware that this port may yet be in American hands once again before this week passes fully, but bestowing the feeling of hopelessness onto one of our numerically superior foe showered me in exuberance. I had not seen so many flags of Spain flying simultaneously since my assistance of "NeoG" and his battle-hardened flock, but I would like to think we did an honor to our nation by proving that we too can be numerous once in a blue moon even now.
It would not be long before our forces consolidated our claim to the region by enforcing the neutral town of Triangles to pay taxes to our mighty empire as well, the denizens of whom often felt our presence simply no longer existed in the region. This victory will undoubtedly pale in comparison to those factions taking huge swathes of land within days, though to those of Spain it shows we are not simply giving up without a fight. Even as some of our more vocal dissidents may kick and scream over our situation, that we will not simply roll over and watch as we are stripped to pieces with no hope of reclamation. We know we do not have the manpower to fight our major foes head-to-head, but just as the Moors swarmed our homeland centuries ago in overwhelming numbers, we will do as Spaniards do and remain as resilient and stubborn as a Castellian ox. We will harry, we will harass, and we will not abandon our denizens whether they sail in Cuba or the fringes of our territory.
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Looks to be back up. Happy sailing.
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After reading the developers' goals on making ports much more defensible (such as gun batteries assisting attacked players outside ports and making certain ports much more difficult to attack) and hopefully the implementation of true diplomacy, I think a situation where one faction gets entirely annihilated will hopefully be mitigated. I hope that in the future there may be additional checks that make ganging up on one faction in particular less enticing to encourage attacks on different factions, but if anything I hope this encourages players who aren't afraid to take adversity head on to join Spain in the future. You certainly won't complain about a lack of PvP.
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After reading this thread the animosity between certain parties is clear so I will refrain from commenting on that. Elsewhere I will say simply that as a member of another underpopulated (or perhaps disorganized comparatively speaking) faction, I greatly respect Slamz for your efforts to still fight under France's banner against overwhelming amounts of degenerative pirates. Had the geographical climate pitted us as enemies I would undoubtedly hunt you as fiercely as these piratas, but in this instant I only wish good tidings in France's effort to reclaim her ports and colonies.
I enjoy reading of your victories as they are inspiring to my own efforts in our fight with the Americans, so please do continue posting them.
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It is clear to me you put a great amount of effort into creating these newspapers, so know that you do yourself and your clan a service by creating them.
Salutations.
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Here recorded are the humble thoughts of a loyal Spaniard to the Royal Spanish Navy.
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February 3rd
Ave Maria! I finally find myself present within the walls of Habana off the coast of Cuba. The trip across the Atlantic still refuses to relinquish the smell of sea and salt from my nostrils, though I am thankful I did not succumb to the sickness that plagued half of the crew within transit. My station as a Capitán, albeit lowly, still has put me in position for the first time to lead men of my own and prove my worth as a marinero de España. I will pray at the local mission for the safe journeys of my crew around the extent of Habana's waters as I establish a lay of the land, and then begin enforcing Spain's Treaty de Tordesillas. It is God's will that Spain control these waters, as is my King's; truly a noble cause if there ever was one.
February 11th
It seems that the plague will not let the sea contain it, as I now find myself the head of a much larger ship known as the "Snow" with its previous Capitán laid to rest in Habana's cemetery. The ship is nimble, yet strong, and has aided me well in the pursuit of Spain's ambitions within these waters. I've also tried to establish myself amongst my peers, keeping in close contact with the post, letters, and even a trip to the tavern or two to accustom myself to their customs and activities. The Spaniards here are much different than those I knew at the ranches in Hispania. They are tougher, grittier, even cynical at times, though undoubtedly each of them still has a love for the Spain in their hearts so I cannot fault them. Perhaps their cynicism grows from the massive loss of colonies within the Caribbean, the entirety of Florida lost to the Americans with the British an ever winding serpent in the south, even piercing the veil of Cuba itself. I hear of as many victories as I do defeats, so I know that my brothers are not incompetent soldiers without a mind for strategy, but our numbers are spread very thin amongst Spain's massive claim to these waters. I will think on what to do.
February 13th
I have received word that my mother has passed. I grieve as deeply as I pray.
February 19th
A grand strategy of sorts has been made aware to me from la tenientes españoles. Many of my peers have been actively directing many of our Capitáns to the southern reaches of Panama, and even I have established a personal outpost within the region of Canalete to assist their plights when need be. Unfortunately, that is not enough for some of the more expressive tenientes of the Spanish fleet in this region, wanting a vast portion of our ships located in the Panama region to assist against the brigand threats and a possible Scottish incursion into the colonial scene. Others find themselves on the opposite spectrum, citing the former as cobardes and accusing them of treason as they abandon Cuba's defense. I find myself torn as the trip to Panama is not a quick one to make and with the loss of Mantua unsafe as vile Americans have begun to harry even Habana itself from the port of Key West. Many of the new Capitáns who are being sent from the homeland much as I was are targets for the larger and more organized hordes of ciudadanos de hamburguesa in the north. The divisiveness on this issue has lead to even personal insults amongst my peers, ingraining the divide as a personal vendetta in which only Spain herself suffers. I will try to be the voice of reason as much as I can. I've also been put in command of a larger ship on par with a frigate.
February 22nd
The Americans grow bolder with every passing day. I've resigned myself to defending the coast of Cuba whilst others try to enforce Spain's claims elsewhere. I find it a personal duty to protect and cultivate the newer Capitáns so that they will know our cause is not hopeless as the Anglos encroach closer to our capitol each day. It is my hope that they will grow emboldened under my display of stalwart vigil in the face of adversity, so that they will stay and fight instead of descending into degenerate piracy in face of a hopeless war.
I sunk this one in particular lurking right off the coast of Cuba, whilst other prizes I've claimed have become so emboldened to hunt just outside the port of Montanzas and Mariel. My luck did not hold out forever, as a patrol deep into the Keys with a favorable comrade known as "olo" resulted in my defeat and near capture. To attack near Key West is to stir a hornet's nest, even as we muster up dozens of Spanish ships under "Bentguruissimo" and "NeoG's" leadership we were ultimately outgunned, though I am a firm believer that our skill at arms far surpassed their own. The Americans accuse me in particular of attacking those engaged against piratas or even at times the British, leading to the justification of their overwhelming numbers being brought down upon my ship. They would not be wrong, though I wonder if they would not feel threatened as I do were the situation reversed, and their home port of Charleston were under threat of the Spanish each passing day. It is my hope to instill fear and uncertainty amongst the Americans, so they know that they at least cannot sail these waters without harassment. Despite our best efforts however, two more major ports on the west coast of Cuba have fallen into American hands and I doubt their recapture will be any time soon. Their massive weekly raids are nearly unstoppable, and I pray that reinforcements from Hispania come soon or else we may share a dismal fate in the New World. If there is any good to be said about our situation, it is that we are not without a fight and any man who actively seeks such violence out would do well to join la flota española.
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Spanish issues.
in Naval Action - Spanish language
Posted
Dear Admin,
As a (US-PvP2) Spanish player who has stuck with this faction since my purchase a week or so ago, I want to tell you my experiences/issues with map control as Spain:
As I am on a server with an overwhelming amount of US players comparatively speaking to other factions in my personal experience, as US influence has gradually crept closer to Cuba, the port of Key West has become an extremely hostile area towards Spanish players. Newbies are often harassed getting to their missions, trade is extremely dangerous, and this often lead to many Spanish players actively broadcasting in Spain chat to completely ABANDON our capital La Habana in hopes of settling in a more remote region of the map to grind xp/craft in peace. Key West should be made a neutral port in my opinion, while perhaps transferring that free town status further up the Florida Keys.
2. SPAIN ALWAYS ON THE DEFENSIVE
Admin, you suggested earlier in this thread that perhaps the map should start mostly with neutral ports and I am INCLINED TO AGREE if port battle timers are intended to stay as they are. One of the biggest issues Spain UNIQUELY faces as a faction concerns the port battle timers. Spain is extremely widespread across the map after a port reset and while it is expected to not be able to defend everything, because the majority of the map has free timers on all of its ports, Spain is often under attack by multiple factions and often loses multiple ports simultaneously during primetime in a night. When it comes time to try and counter-attack as Spain, we are forced to adhere to the enemy's schedule. THIS GAME FAVORS ATTACKERS in its current state with the lack of availability to defend Spain's vast holdings across the map. If Spain was allowed to set timers on its own conquered (and invested) territory, things would be much more even overall even if it's ahistorical after next port wipe.
3. OUTNUMBERED AND DEMORALIZED = LOW POPULATION
Spain when I had first joined had a decent amount of players and now suffers to even gather ~10 players for a port assault. Many Spanish clans originally had the idea to split up and defend the various regions of Spain's empire, but ultimately this divided our playerbase and allowed the regions with bottlenecked playerbases (such as the US) to OVERRUN the split clans. 3 hour teleports forces you to commit to a single region of Spain's defense during primetime while you're being simultaneously attacked across the board. As we lost all of Florida and most of Mexico, many Spain players began to give up hope for our faction and it wasn't until the US/Brits could easily make Cuba its stomping grounds did people leave Spain in mass droves. Even now I see players who are still favorable to Spain refusing to return simply because it's pointless to re-establish Spanish dominance when you can have more engaging and FAIR PVP by joining more POPULATED FACTIONS. That is the only benefit of being a part of a different faction than Spain in Naval Action's current state and it's a very ENTICING one.
4. NO INCENTIVES TO BE THE NATION IN THE MIDDLE
If the Devs sincerely want Spain to remain a powerhouse on the map while being sandwiched in between multiple factions that naturally draw in large populations, there needs to be a national incentive outside of having an overly ample amount of PvP to join Spain. Personally, I do not think this is a good idea as many of the other player factions will cry foul play on our nation's special treatment and rightfully so, but that is a choice I leave to the developer. The only advantage I can see that Spain has right now is for the first three weeks or so you can trade in peace far off in a remote part of Spain's empire. Perhaps it would be better to focus on INCENTIVES FOR LOW POPULATION FACTIONS and have that effect be universal for every faction if their population is disparate. Having an XP BOOST FOR LOW POP FACTIONS would certainly appease those who constantly complain that this game is too grindy and also HELP LOW POP FACTIONS CATCH UP AND ACTUALLY HAVE A CHANCE IN RvR.
5. CUBA PORT MISSION LOCATIONS ARE BUGGED
This is more of a bug issue than strategical input on Spain's map position. Missions in Cuba after a certain level BEGIN TO SPAWN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF CUBA often resulting in a 30+ minute destination for that mission, which just makes the home port of La Habana and Cuba as a whole ultimately an INCONVENIENT LEVELING AREA. I hope in the future mission spawns will respect the direction on which their port is adjoined to the land.
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To other posters reading this thread, please keep in mind I say all this because I love this game and do not wish for Spain to be overpowered or have advantages that other factions do not. I simply wish to have fun again and feel as though one of the major powers in the Caribbean actually has the on par playerbase to show for it. Even now, my server has a greater player turn out for the French, Dutch, and Swedish factions than the Spanish could ever hope for in my personal experience. Seeing that I've lost another 8-10 ports each day I log in and have very little chance for recourse ultimately makes me want to reroll, though the only thing stopping me is my nationalistic pride and hope that Spain can bounce back.
Either way, this game has been incredibly enjoying for me and I hope the developers make Spain a more viable faction.
Thank you,
Federico Gravina